The Oak and the Stranger
by tandra88
Summary: Poetry Bug. Secret online love. Rivals in real life. Too bad they don't know it's each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Wow, this idea was really random, I think I might make this into a chapter story possibly.

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Ash's POV**

"Come on, come on…"

Ash Ketchum waited impatiently for his computer to load. No, there wasn't an assignment due, or homework to research, nothing silly like that. Ash was trying to be on time for his date. Not a real one, but online, in a chat room. Every Thursday, the two would meet in a poetry chatroom and try to discuss poems, but mostly talked about each other. Ash didn't know his real name, but just his username: Star_crossed_ luvr.

"Finally!" he exclaims, logging into Poetry Bug, the poetry nerds premier website. He'd found the site one day, just clicking random links. As soon as Ash logged in, he had a chat request. He clicked it excitedly.

**Star_crossed_luvr: By my modestly, the jewel in my dower, I would not wish any companion in the world but you.**

**Secret_obsession: William Shakespeare!**

The two had a game they'd play. Whoever logged in first, that person would post a random poetry quote and the other had to type the author of it.

**Star_crossed_luvr: Correct as always.**

Ash smiles.

**Secret_obsession: How's ur life?**

**Star_crossed_luvr: Alright, I guess. Wbu?**

He groans. Gary Oak made his life a living hell everyday and Star_crossed_luvr was his only salvation. Ash would never admit it to his online crush, but he was the only reason he gets on the computer for leisure.

**Star_crossed_luvr: That Blossom guy still givin' u trouble?**

Instead of using Gary's last name, Ash made something up. Even though he was in love with somebody online, Ash still had a bit of common sense, but sometimes, he seems tempted to sometimes.

**Secret_obsession: Yeah…**

**Star_crossed_luvr: Would a poem make u feel better?**

**Secret_obsession: Of course!**

**Star_crossed_luvr's poems always made Ash feel better about his day, no matter what was going on.**

**Star_crossed_luvr: When I wake up, I think of you/as cold as ice and how the sky is blue/then I realize, I'm in love with you.**

Ash sat in thought. He was speechless over the beauty of the poem, but he couldn't help but to feel something deep inside of him. Was that poem referring to him?

**Star_crossed_luvr: U didn't like it did u?**

**Secret_obsession: No! I luved it!**

_'Almost as much as I love you…'_ Ash thought secretly. He couldn't help but to be in love with him. Ash talks to him like he's known him his entire life.

**Star_crossed_luvr: U flatter me so.**

"Ash! Ash Ketchum!"

His eyes widen in alarm. Ash quickly minimized the window before his mom barges in.

"Honey, time to eat."

"Alright, alright." Ash replies in a rush.

"Wow, you have a lot of messages, dear. Who are they from?"

Ash covers the monitor up with his body. "Nobody!" he exclaims, trying to think of a distraction. "Oh no! Your cabbage is burning!"

"Darn, I better go get it."

With that, his mother rushed out of his room. Ash breathes a sigh of relief as he goes back to the chat messager. Nobody, except his friends, knew about Star_crossed_luvr.

**Star_crossed_luvr: Parents?**

**Secret_obsession: More like parent. Dad skipped out.**

He doesn't type anything for a while.

**Secret_obsession: I'm sorry.**

Ash felt the need to apologize. He was burdening Star_crossed with his problems.

**Star_crossed_luvr: No, I actually care. :)**

**Secret_obsession: Thx. That's y I luv u.**

As soon as Ash sent that, he instantly regretted them. He just admitted to a complete stranger that he loved them. Ash quickly exited out of the site, his cheeks flushing in shame.

"Dinner!" His mother yells upstairs.

"Can't wait." Ash mutters sarcastically, walking out of his room.

* * *

**Interesting twist, no? Hope you liked it, and give me your suggestions about being an actual chapter story or not. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I didn't know you guys actually liked this! So, it has been revived! :D****

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**Gary Oak leaned against the brick wall of his high school, calmly waiting for his prey. He knew that it wasn't right to call a person prey, but that's what he saw Ash Ketchum as. Prey, tauntee, competition, gay, all of the above as the list goes on and on. Secret_obsession isn't like that, however. Secret_obsession is everything Gary wish he had in a lover. Sensitive, caring, loving, hell, he even likes poetry! You definitely don't find people with those qualities anywhere. How did he meet Secret_obsession, exactly? It all started with a trip to Google to look for poetry sties. Next thing he knew, he was talking with Secret_obsession and discussing everything from Edgar Allen Poe to William Shakespeare and back again. They started out as friends, but when Secret_obsession said that he was in love with him, it took their friendship to a whole different level.

"Oak, snap out of it."

A nudge from his fellow group member broke Gary out of his trance.

As if on cue, Ash walked past them, trying to keep his head down. His friends, Brock, Tracey, and Misty, weren't due to arrive for another ten minutes, so he was left to fend for himself. He was semi-distracted anyway. Ash was still thinking about what he typed the other night. Did Star_crossed_luvr feel the same way?

"Hey faggot!" Gary exclaimed with a smirk.

Ash ignored the taunt. Would he be on tonight, even if it's a Friday? Ash doubted it.

"I said, hey faggot!" He repeated, walking over and pushing Ash to the ground.

Ash sighed and looked up to Gary, quietly. "I don't have time for this, Oak."

There was a short stent of silence before Gary broke out in silence. "Ha! This punk thinks he can call me by my last name!"

The other thugs surrounded Ash, ready to pounce on him at Gary's command.

"No boys, don't waste your energy. How about we take his homework or something?" Gary says, tearing the backpack off the boy's back.

Ash looked in alarm, about to attack Gary, but the thugs held him back. He felt his eyes brimming with tears, but if he let them spill, he'd only get beat up more.

"Hmm…what do we have here?" Gary says, taking various things out. "Homework, textbooks, paper…nothing out of the ordinary. Oh my, what is this?"

Gary took out a green spiral notebook. On the front cover were the words, "_**POETRY NOTEBOOK**_".

"Hmm…a poetry notebook?"

Ash's face was mortified. That was his prized possession. He couldn't let anybody have that. He struggled against the bullies, but they just held on to him tighter.

"Aww, looks like you just stirred something inside of him!" One of them exclaimed.

Gary was flipping through the notebook, really intrigued, but didn't show it.

_This runt is into poetry?_ He wondered, flipping through the pages.

"Give that back!" Ash yelled, breaking free of the grip and charging at Gary.

Before he could take another look, Gary was tackled to the ground.

"Ouch! What the hell was that for?" He asked, dazed. Gary failed to realize that Ash was on top of him, or for that matter, that his knee was in an awkward position.

"Give me my damn notebook back!" Ash exclaimed in a sudden surge of power.

Gary was so surprised, but he did as he was told, but not before tearing a couple of piece out. He was hoping that he got what he needed.

Ash, on the other hand, frowned at the boy as his friends walked up.

"Is this prick giving you any trouble?" Misty asked, glaring at Gary.

"I'm fine. Let's go," Ash replied, turning around and walking with his friends. He paid Gary no mind, but did stuff his notebook back into his now messy backpack. Ash's face was flushing horribly.

As if this day could've gotten any worse.

Meanwhile, Gary was still standing there, reading the pieces of paper in his hand.

"Hey, what's that?" One of his groupies asked, but Gary swatted them away.

"Suit yourself," They mumbled as they left him.

Gary's eyes read over the piece of paper over and over.

_This..can't be.._

On the paper was a manuscript of what Secret_obsession and Star_crossed_luvr were talking about.

_No..it's…it can't be him!_

Gary was still reeling in shock as the school bell rang. Not only did he know that Ash was Secret_obsession, the guy that confessed to him last night, but Gary was feeling feelings for him as well.

_This is wrong. This is so wrong. I can't be in love with my rival. My tauntee. My.._

He frowned to himself and tore the pieces of paper to shreds.

"Damn those hormones."


	3. Chapter 3

Ash gritted his teeth. Besides horrible spelling and grammar, the one thing—or person, rather—he couldn't stand was Gary Oak. People always treated him like he was a God or something.

"Hey Ash, you okay?"

It was Brock, Ash's best guy friend. They'd known each other ever since they were little babies.

Ash gave a curt nod. "Fine, just…pissed. And I feel kinda lightheaded."

"Well, how'd Star_crossed_luvr go last night?"

That voice belonged to Tracey, Ash's newest friend. Tracey was one of those loner art types, forever doodling over things, even himself. Next to him was Misty, a rough and tough girl that rolled with the guys. That was the only girl Ash knew and probably would even know.

Ash bit his lip. "Um, well…"

"Yeah?" His friends encouraged.

"IkindasaidIlovedhim."

"What?" His friends asked again.

"I told him that I loved him," Ash repeated slower, his cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"Oh Ash.." Misty whispered. "Isn't that great? I mean, what did he reply?"

He looked away from them. "I kinda exited out before he could reply."

"Um…" Even Brock was at a loss for words. "I hope you know what you're getting into."

Ash sighed, feeling more lightheaded than before. "I know."

The ground of four navigated through the sea of kids without another word. Close behind them was Gary Oak. The group hadn't even noticed he was behind him. In Gary's hand was the papers. Papers that told what he had been wondering for a long time. Papers that changed Gary's relationship (lack of a better word) forever. Gary was still in disbelief, however. Ash Ketchum **COULDN'T** be Secret_obsession. Fate can't be that cruel. Secret_obsession was way better than that runt. He was kind and caring. Ash was just…ugh.

The school bell rang and Gary watched as Ash's friends slowly left him, one by one. Finally, Ash was along, just the way Gary liked him.

"Ash!" He exclaimed, racing up to the boy.

He cringed, but turned around.

"What do you want now? Taunt me? Jump me?"

Gary sighed. "Actually, no. I'm returning these lame papers of yours."  
He held the papers out for Ash to take. He looked at them suspiciously.

"What?" Gary asks, annoyed. "I'm giving you these damn papers back. Take them!"

Ash frowns and snatches them away. He stares at them for a quick second before his face turned into horror.

"How the hell did you get these?"

Gary stared at him. "Fell out of that stupid notebook of yours. Get a damn binder."

Ash, on the other hand, was pissed. These papers were his life! The only place he felt truly like himself was around his friends and on the internet. Gary probably would use them as blackmail anyway.

"You know what Gary? Screw off."

He began to walk away, but before he got anywhere, a huge pain pang racked his brain. He fell to the ground, gasping a bit. It felt like the lightheadedness he was experiencing earlier, only worse.

Gary hadn't even noticed Ash's actions. He was too busy closing his eyes and counting to ten. Here he was, trying to be nice, but Ash had to screw everything up. Eventually, he'd calmed down and looked up, only to see his rival, crush, and lover on the ground, experiencing some sort of..headache?

"Ash…?" He asked timidly, taking a few steps towards him.

Ash looked up, taking one more huge breath. "Leave me alone."

Then, he fainted.


	4. Chapter 4

**And here's another episode! Oops, I mean chapter. Sorry. XD**

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Ash woke up in the nurse's office on a scratchy white cot. His light brown eyes flittered around the room, noticing the corny posters about staying healthy and exercising. His memory was failing him at the moment and he couldn't remember why he was here. However, when Ash raised his head up, he quickly fell back, moaning and groaning. He had a huge, horrible headache.

"Good to see you awake."

Ash turned his attention to the bubbly nurse. Her name tag read—CANDY—in big bold bubble letters, like she wrote them herself. She had ocean blue eyes and her hair was in pigtails. If Ash didn't know any better, he'd think that she was a student at his school. Candy wore a pair of oxfords and black slacks. Her shirt was a cute little smock with puppies running around on it. In her hand was a thermometer.

"W-what—"

"You passed out, I suppose." Candy interrupted Ash's question with her thermometer. "I think Gary Oak might've brought you."

The thermometer beeped wildly, mimicking Ash's beating heart. Gary Oak—the bully, the once promising young man—brought him here? Candy must be mistaken.

"Anyway, your fever is quite high. Not high enough to be sent home, but I'll give you a bag of ice and a few pills, alright?"

Ash nodded as Candy left to fill out some information. It left Ash alone to ponder his questions.

Why exactly would Gary even bring him to the nurse's office? It was totally out of his behavior. Well, his new one anyway. Once upon a time, Gary was nice, caring, and a great student. He went out of his way to help all of his teachers and fellow students. Then, he was gone for about a good month. When he came back, Gary was cold-blooded and ruthless. He disobeyed his teachers, formed his own little terrorizing group, and stopped caring about his grades. Now, people rarely even said his name for anything good. Ash knew deep down that Gary had to carry him. He was the only person that was around when he fainted. Anybody else probably would've just left him there.

Candy came back with a small cup with two pills and a bag of ice. She handed them both to Ash.

"Now, I have a pass for you back to class, if you want to go. If you take a look at the time, you really have no point."

He gazed over at the clock and saw the time. It was about 9:58. His Literature class let out at around 10:05. Candy was correct.

"Take these two pills and apply the ice pack when you need it. I think the only reason you fainted was because of stress. Your blood pressure was quite high. Is something going on?" She asks, politely.

"No," Ash replied, a bit harshly. He didn't mean to sound like that, it just happened. Candy obviously didn't hear it, or she just chose to ignore it.

"Alright. Come back if you need me."

Ash nodded and looked around for his stuff. Amazingly, Gary had even brought in his backpack. It was sitting in the corner near his cot. Ash scooped it up and put it on, careful not to spill the pills he had.

"Oh Ash!" Candy calls from somewhere in the back.

"Yes?"

"Try and keep out of Gary's arms…would you?"

Ash blushed softly. What did that comment mean? And why did he blush? He found Gary Oak repulsive. Candy was right. He must've been feeling really hot.

"Right!" He called back, leaving the nurse's office. He hoped he wouldn't have to be back for a while.

* * *

Gary was smoking a cigarette. Class? Nah. He might've gone if his thoughts weren't so scrambled. He helped Ash Ketchum. Him! It angered him to no end. Gary wanted to leave Ash in the hallway, where he thought he rightfully belonged, but something compelled him not to. So reluctantly, Gary picked him up in the hallway and raced off towards the nurse.

Ash was light, like Gary figured. It almost required no effort to pick him up. He got a short distance down the hallway before he realized that Ash's backpack was still in the hall as well. Muttering a curse word, Gary went back and picked it up, grunting at its weight.

_'Ash picks this up…?'_ Gary thought as he navigated the hallways. Thankfully, everybody was in class. He wouldn't have to worry about the sudden class change or the staring and whispers of the other students. That was definitely one thing he didn't need. It would go against everything he now stood for.

Gary looked down and watched Ash. He was unconscious. His raven black hair fell over into his face, hiding a bit of his freckles. Something stirred inside of Gary, right in the pit of his stomach. He quickly looked away from Ash, focusing on getting him to the nurse. Gary couldn't really remember why he started bullying Ash. They weren't rivals or anything, just two different people.

"Hello?"

Gary jumped, making Ash stir for a moment, before falling back asleep.

"What?" Gary asked, turning towards the sound of the voice. He saw the nurse, Candy Waters, smiling at him. He relaxed a bit.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, walking towards the pair. Candy was holding a red lunchbox.

"Ash fell," Gary replied simply. He noticed the lunchbox. "But if you're going on break…"

"Oh no, it's fine," Candy says, fishing out her office keys. "Students come first. Follow me."

Gary followed Candy to her office, semi glad that Ash would be getting the attention he needed. When they got into the office, Candy instructed him to lay Ash down on the cot and tell her all that happened.

"Well…," Gary started awkwardly, "Ash and I were arguing about poetry—"

"You like poetry, Gary?" Candy interrupted, while taking Ash's blood pressure. This intrigued her a bit. Just like everybody else in the school, she'd heard about Gary's reputation. Bringing in a fellow student had already surprised her, but the mention of poetry made her regain some hope. Candy was a bubbly individual and always saw the good in people. She believed that Gary Oak still had some good in him somewhere, despite everybody else giving up in him.

"No!"

"Okay," Candy replied, dragging out her O. "Ash seems to be fine. Do you want to—"

The moment Candy said that, Gary bolted out of the door. That's all he needed to hear. He didn't want to stay with Ash. Gary dropped him off. He did his good deed for the foreseeable future.

Now Gary was here, smoking a cigarette, somewhat disgusted at his behavior.

_'The old Gary wouldn't do this,'_ He thought, throwing and stomping on his cigarette. _'The old Gary would've stayed…'_

The old Gary was the phrase he often heard when people were referring to him. Gary could remember a day when people weren't so disappointed in him. He could remember a day where he could pick up a student's books when they got knocked over, or spared a few dollars at lunch for somebody else that didn't have it. Now, he was the one knocking over the books and mocking the kids that didn't have anything.

_'But that was before…'_

Gary couldn't even think the rest of that sentence. It still hurt inside. The loss of his parents crushed him, mentally and physically. He was left in the care of his grandpa (affectionately called Gramps) who was a professor in a local school. His grandpa was rarely at home, leaving Gary to do whatever he wanted to.

The school bell rang and kids flooded from every direction. They all headed towards the buses, the parking lot, or to the sidewalks to walk home. Gary stayed right where he was. There was just something he had to see.

Meanwhile, Ash was getting swallowed in the dismissal rush. Unable to see his friends, he just kept his eyes forward. He wasn't going to take the bus today. Ash was going to walk. He eventually grew annoyed of the rush and broke off, catching the attention of Gary. Ash looked up and the two locked eyes. For a very brief moment, the dismissal rush was forgotten. Brown eyes collided with green.

Ash felt the intensity of the gaze so much, he fell down. Nothing fell out of his backpack, but he quickly raced away, passing Gary in his haste. Gary felt it as well, but didn't know how to react. His groupies came.

"Hey Oak, you better now?" One of them asked. Gary turned to look at them.

"I guess."

Gary and his gang walked off, in search for something to bully.


End file.
